


In the Presence of Evil

by xtremeroswellian



Category: Roswell (TV 1999)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Coed Sleepovers, Drama, F/M, Gratuitous use of song lyrics, Hurt Maria, I'm Sorry, It used to be a thing back in the day, Kidnapping, Language, Literally wrote this 20 years ago, Liz Parker can take care of herself tyvm, Maria's poor jetta, Michael Guerin's visions, Nasedo is evil, Sheriff Valenti finds out, Spoilers up through "UFO Convention", Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 08:46:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23468629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: After the events of UFO Convention, a line is drawn in the sand between the humans and the pod squad. The problem is it makes it much easier for Nasedo to strike at his first opportunity.
Relationships: Isabel Evans & Max Evans & Michael Guerin, Isabel Evans/Alex Whitman, Liz Parker & Maria Deluca & Alex Whitman, Maria DeLuca/Michael Guerin, Max Evans/Liz Parker
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

Alex Whitman plopped down onto a stool at the Crashdown. He laid his head down on the coutner. When he felt a hand touch his shoulder, he looked up into the eyes of his best friend, Liz Parker. "Hey."

"Hey," she said softly. "What's up?"

"Not much."

"Oh."

Alex could hear the hurt in her voice that she tried to hide. He watched as she began wiping off the counter and he grabbed her hand. She looked at him in surprise. "I'm sorry, Liz."

She blinked. "For what?"

"For being a jerk."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He squeezed her hand gently. "I didn't have enough faith in you. I was--I was really mean to you before and I'm sorry."

Liz's head dropped as her eyes filled with tears. "Alex, no. Everything you said ato me, all of your anger--it was all justified. You have nothing to apologize for."

He tightened his grip on her hand. "Neither do you. You were just protecting Isabel and Max and Michael."

She nodded but a tear slid down her cheek. She brushed it away with the back of her hand. "I have to ask you something, Alex, and I want you to be honest with me."

"Of course."

"Do you hate me for not telling you sooner?"

Alex's eyes widened. "No! Liz, I don't hate you."

"I just...I just want us to be friends again, Alex. You and me and Maria. I need you. I need my friend back." She lifted her face to meet his eyes and he could see she was on the verge of crying.

He quickly rose to his feet and moved around the counter. Alex wrapped his arms around her. "I'm here, Liz."

"I don't want to lose you, Alex," she whispered, burying her face in his shoulder.

He stroked her hair gently. "You won't. You haven't." He pulled away to look at her. "Liz, you're my best friend. I'm here for you." He brushed away her tears and kissed her forehead.

She hugged him again. "Thank you," she said softly.

Just then, the door to the Crashdown opened and Liz and Alex turned to look. Isabel and Michael walked in. "Uh, hey, Liz, can I go in back?" Alex asked suddenly.

Liz blinked in surprise. "Sure. Go ahead. In fact, my parents aren't home, so you can grab the key and go upstairs if you want."

"Thanks." Alex slipped away from her and went into the back.

Liz took a deep breath, wiped her eyes and then walked over to Michael and Isabel. "Welcome to the Crashdown. What can I get for you?"

Michael frowned at her formality. "Uh, the real Liz Parker would be nice."

"You're looking at her. Do you need a few minutes to decide what you want?" she asked calmly.

Isabel stood up and headed towards the door to the back room. Liz cut her off. "You can't go back there. Employees only."

"Alex just went back there."

"Alex is family."

There was no mistaking the cold edge in Liz's voice. Isabel locked eyes with her. "I need to talk to him."

"No," Liz answered flatly. Alex obviously didn't want to talk to her right now, or he wouldn't have gone to the back, Liz reasoned with herself.

Isabel stared at her in shock. "What?"

"I said, 'no.' Please go back to your table now."

Isabel, shocked, walked back to the booth and sat down across from Michael again. "Is?" he frowned.

"Who is that?" she demanded.

Michael looked over his shoulder at Liz. "Maybe that's something we should ask Max."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria came in through the back entrance of the Crashdown and ran directly into her friend Alex. "Hey, Alex."

"Hey. Czechoslovakians out front," he warned her.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Great." She opened her locker and then looked back at him. "That why you're back here?"

"Yeah, I didn't want to suffocate anyone." Alex turned and hurried up the stairs to Liz's family's apartment.

Maria stared after him for a moment, puzzled. Then she grabbed her order book and headed out front.

"Hey, Maria," Liz said. She bit her lip and looked over at Michael and Isabel.

"Liz, babe, chill. Alex warned me already." She smiled. "Have they ordered yet?"

"No, but I've got it," she said quickly.

Maria waved her hand. "Actually, let me. It doesn't matter. I have a date tomorrow night."

Liz's eyes widened. "With whom?"

Maria smiled mysteriously. "Actually, you, me and Alex all three have dates."

"What?"

"Details later. The foreigners are starting to look hungry." Maria walked over to their table. "Hi, Isabel. Michael. What can I get ya?"

"Saturn rings," Isabel replied, still staring at Liz.

Maria wrote it down and then looked at Michael expectantly. He was staring at her. "Take a picture. Lasts longer."

Michael blinked but he couldn't take his eyes off her face.

"Michael?" Isabel questioned. She reached across the table and touched his hand.

Michael leapt out of the booth, standing so close to Maria that her heart started beating double-time. "What's the matter with you?" she asked.

Michael turned and bolted towards the door and out of the cafe.

Maria, Isabel and Liz all stared after him. "What the hell was that about?" Maria wondered aloud.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Max! Maxwell!"

Max sighed and sat up in bed. He stood up, unlocked and opened his window. Michael climbed in.

"What's going on? Why are you sleeping in the middle of the day?"

"I wasn't sleeping. I was thinking," Max answered, sitting back down on his bed.

"About Liz."

Max glared at him. "Yeah. I was. At least I can admit it."

Michael frowned but ignored the remark. "Something's wrong."

"What?"

"I don't know. I just came from the Crashdown and, first of all, Liz was acting really weird and then--"

"Wait. What do you mean by weird?"

"I don't know. Upset or angry or something." Max frowned but Michael continued. "But the strangest part happened when I saw Maria. I got a vision, Maxwell."

"A vision?"

"Not exactly a vision. More like a feeling. Something's wrong, Max. I can't explain it, but I think something's about to happen. Something bad."

Max studied him for a moment. "Like what?"

"I don't know. But whatever it is, they're all involved somehow."

Max frowned again and then he stood up and looked out the window. It was starting to rain. He turned back to face his friend. "You think they're in trouble?"

Michael shrugged, averting his worried eyes from Max's. "Maybe."

"We need to talk to Isabel about this when she gets back."

Michael nodded in agreement. "We need to have a meeting. All of us."

"All six of us," Max answered. He met Michael's gaze. A chill ran down his spine.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, wait a minute. Where did you meet these people again?" Alex asked Maria as he, Maria and Liz sat around Liz's kitchen table.

"At the aromatherapy store at the mall."

"And you just...asked them to go out with us?" Liz asked in amazement.

"Yeah. There were two guys and a girl. I mentioned to Neil that I had a couple of friends..."

"And bam! We all have dates to dinner and a movie," Alex finished.

Maria grinned. "Yep."

Just then, the telephone rang. Liz picked it up. "Hello?"

"Liz?"

She swallowed hard. "Yeah."

"It's me. Max."

"I know."

"We need to talk. All six of us."

Maria raised an eyebrow at Liz, who mouthed the word, "Max." Maria rolled her eyes and took the phone from her. "What do you want?"

Max blinked in surprise. "Maria?"

"Duh."

"I was just telling Liz that the six of us need to talk. It's impor--"

Maria cut him off. "Save it, Evans. We've got the picture. No entanglements. Wouldn't want to complicate anyone's life or throw them off balance. Now, I have to go because--"

This time, someone cut her off. "Listen, it's not about the three of us. It's about the three of you," Michael said sharply. "Is Alex over there?"

Maria glanced at her friend and then frowned. "Yeah."

"Well, then stay there. We're on our way." He dropped his voice a bit. "Please. It's important."

"Okay. Fine." She hung up the phone and turned to Alex and Liz, who were waiting curiously. "You have plenty of ice cream here, right?"

Liz nodded, her eyebrows furrowed in concern and confusion. "But why?"

Maria sighed. "Because I have a feeling we're going to need the comfort food by the time the Czechoslovakians leave."


	2. Chapter 2

"What about this?" Maria asked, holding up a purple silk shirt and short black skirt.

"Depends," Alex offered. "What are you going for? Knocking him off his feet or on-the-spot-heart-attack?"

Maria made a face at him.

Liz smiled and looked at Maria. "I think it'd be great tomorrow night on our triple date. Go for it."

"Great!" Maria said, forcing herself to be cheery. "Well, now that we know what I'm wearing, we need to figure out what you're wearing." She rummaged through Liz's closet until she found a dress in the back with the tags still on it. "You've been holding out on me, Lizzie!"

"I am not wearing that to the movies."

"Just try it on," Maria urged, handing the dress to her.

Liz sighed. "Fine. I'll be right back." She disappeared into the bathroom.

Maria heard a distant knocking and she rolled her eyes. "I'll go get it."

Alex sighed as she left the room. Isabel Evans was the last person in the world he wanted to see right then. Why had he ever thought that dating her could even be possible for someone like him? And for her to know that was how he felt about her and to be told he was suffocating her...how embarrasing.

Just then, the bathroom door opened and Liz walked back in, looking a bit apprehensive.

Alex's eyes widened. "Wow! Liz, you look gorgeous!"

"Really?"

"Let's just say if you walked outside right now every car within ten miles would stop."

Liz blushed slightly and then looked around the room. "Where's Maria?"

"She's in the other room."

"Oh. Well, I'm going to go see what she thinks."

"Okay." His brain didn't process what she'd said until she'd already left the room. Then he leapt to his feet. "Liz! Wait!"

Liz plastered a smile on her face and spun around in a circle as she stepped into the living room. "Maria, what do you--" she cut herself off as she realized that Max, Michael and Isabel were standing there with Maria. "--think?" she finished, swallowing hard.

Max stared at her, his mouth open slightly. He felt like he couldn't breathe. All he could do was stare at Liz in her short, silk red spaghetti strap dress, with her long hair framing her face softly. She looked like a goddess. Even Michael and Isabel were staring.

Maria noticed Max's reaction. "A definite on-the-spot-heart-attack. I bet Max would agree with me, right Max?" He didn't answer. Maria didn't think he'd even heard her question. "But, I think it may be a bit over-dressy for dinner and a movie."

Max definitely heard those words. He froze. "You--have a date?"

"Yeah, we all do," Maria informed him, ignoring the stare she was getting from Michael.

"All of you?" Isabel repeated.

Alex smiled at Liz and Maria. "That's right."

Max couldn't take his eyes off Liz. The only thing he wanted to do right then was cross the room to her, sweep her into his arms and carry her off to her bedroom. He swallowed hard.

"I'm-uh-just going to go change now," Liz said quietly. She'd never been so embarrassed in her entire life. She turned and all but ran to her room. They all heard the slam of her door and Max jumped.

"Stop drooling," Isabel commanded. "We're here on business, remember?"

Maria flopped down on the couch. "So, what journey are we going on now, Odysseus?" she asked Michael.

He glared at her. "We're not."

Alex leaned against the wall, forcing himself to look anywhere but at Isabel, who was dressed in a red sweater and black jeans. He heard Liz come up behind him, and hesitate, knowing that she was hidden from view behind him. Then she moved until she was perched on the edge of the couch next to Maria. She was now wearing a long-sleeved green sweater and blue jeans.

She looked from Max to Isabel to Michael and then back to Max. "So, is anyone going to tell us what's going on?" she asked quietly.

Max hadn't taken his eyes off her since she'd come back into the room.

"We think you're all in danger," Michael said, getting right to the point.

Alex, Liz and Maria all stared at him. "What are you talking about?" Maria asked.

Isabel glanced at Michael and then back at Maria. "Michael had a vision. A flash of...intuition, if you will. In that flash, he felt danger for the three of you. That's why he ran out of the Crashdown earlier."

"And I thought it was something I said," Maria said sarcastically.

"This is serious," Max said quietly.

"Isn't it always?" she retorted, glaring at him.

"What kind of danger?" Liz spoke up softly. She met Max's eyes and he silently thanked her.

Michael clenched his jaw. "I don't know for sure."

"Big surprise," Maria muttered.

"Hey, look! I'm just trying to help you out!" Michael said angrily, rising to his feet and moving toward Maria.

Alex moved across the room and stepped in front of him, blocking him from Maria. "Back off," he warned.

Michael glared at him, but Alex didn't budge.

"This is ridiculous!" Michael exploded. "I'm here trying to make sure you're all okay and wonder boy here is acting like I'm the Son of Sam!"

"Alex was sticking up for me," Maria said sharply, standing up and moving next to Alex. She glared at Michael.

"Michael wouldn't hurt you!" Isabel said furiously.

"Yeah, he'd never do anything to Maria," Alex said sarcastically.

"What is this about, Maria? That I don't feel the same way about you that you do about me?"

"No, Michael, this is about you being too afraid to admit how you really feel because it makes you feel too human!" Maria replied, her eyes blazing. "All three of you! You're all cowards!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Isabel interupted. "You have no idea what it's like to be us! You don't know what it's like to not know where you come from or who you really are!"

Maria's eyes darkened and filled with even more anger and hurt. "Yeah, I have no idea what it's like not to have a father, to not know why he left me and my mom when I was two months old! Maybe I don't know what it's like to be you exactly, but I do know how it feels to spend your whole life not knowing where you come from or who you are!"

"At least you have a real mother who loves you," Isabel said quietly.

Michael stared at Maria. He wasn't about to say anything about her family life. He knew from their one brief conversation in that cheap motel on the way to Texas that the situation was a sore spot with her.

"So do you," Maria answered just as quietly.

"My mother doesn't know who I am! She never will!" Isabel was dangerously close to crying now.

"At least she wants to know!" Maria's voice was raw with emotion. "Your mother wants to know who you are! Mine's too busy with work and boyfriends to give a damn!"

Alex wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She looked away, not wanting anyone to see her crying.

Isabel turned away from the three humans and stared out the window, blinking back her own tears.

"Don't you understand? We are the outsiders here. You don't know what that feels like!" Michael said, struggling to contain his emotions.

Maria started to respond, but Liz was quicker. "You're wrong," she said, her voice strained. "You don't have to be outsiders. And I do know how it feels. We all do, Michael. Because we try to be your friends, to help you out, to be there for you, but you push us away! You make us outsiders, not the other way around!"

"The only reason you're involved is because of an accident," Michael said sharply. He hadn't really meant to say it, it just came out.

"You mean a mistake, don't you? That's what you really wanted to say." Liz swallowed hard and she fought to keep her voice even. "I know how you feel about me, Michael. Believe me, you and Isabel have made it blatantly clear. I know you hate me because Max saved me. Well, you know what? I'm sorry that he did, too!"

Michael flinched at her words. That's not what he'd meant at all.

Max's eyes widened. "Liz, don't say th--"

"Say what, Max? The truth? You shouldn't have healed me. I've only complicated and messed up your life, and Michael's life and Isabel's life. But I won't do it anymore. I'll stay away from you..." she said, the tremor in her voice unmistakable as she gazed at Max and her eyes filled with tears. "...from all of you. You get your wish. Have a nice life. I hope you all find everything you're looking for."

She held Max's gaze for only a second before her tears spilled over and she shot out of the room and raced to the back. Alex let go of Maria and ran after Liz.

Max started to go after her, too, but Maria grabbed his arm. "I think you should leave now. The three of you did what you came here to do. Now go mess with someone else's mind for a change!" Her voice was cold, harsh.

Max blinked back tears in his own eyes. "I need to tell her--"

"No! You've done enough for one night! Just leave. If you care anything about her at all, just go and let Alex and I handle this mess!"

Max swallowed hard and his gaze dropped to the floor. He walked out the front door and stared at the star-filled sky. "I'm sorry, Liz," he whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

Alex lay awake that night, staring at the cieling. He let out a sigh and then turned his head to look over at his two best friends, who were finally asleep in Liz's bed. He glanced at the clock. 3:26 a.m. He always used to be asleep by 10:30.

But not since Liz had told him about Isabel, Max and Michael. He'd lain awake night after night, just staring out his bedroom window at the stars, wondering what had happened to cause their three Czechoslovakian friends to end up here. He had gone over every memory he had of the three of them, turning each memory over and over, examining each from every possible angle, trying to figure out if there had ever been any clue along the way, but in the end, there never was. By all rights, Isabel and Max Evans and Michael Guerin had always been completely human.

And yet, they weren't.

They were different from him, different from Liz and Maria...and at the same time, they were still the same people they'd always been.

Alex wondered when he'd suddenly become a philosopher.

He looked back over at Liz, who was sleeping on the edge of the bed nearest him. Moonlight streamed in from her window, and he could see her face was still tear-strained and pale. He hated seeing her like that.

After Max, Isabel and Michael had left the previous ending, Liz had locked herself in her bedroom for a good hour while he and Maria had sat outside the door, listening to the quiet sounds of her crying. They hadn't spoken, hadn't even looked at one another. They were feeling the same way--like their hearts had just been ripped out and stuffed back in their chests. Alex didn't have to ask how Maria or Liz was feeling...he just knew. When you've been friends with someone as long as Alex had been friends with the two of them, you just know.

It wasn't fair. Liz was a good person, and she loved Max. That was another thing he knew instinctively. He'd seen her when she was going out with Kyle, and with a few other guys before that...but she never looked at Kyle or any of those other guys the way she looked at Max Evans.

And Alex felt for her. He'd always been closer with Liz than Maria. Not that he didn't love Maria, but of the three of them, Liz and Alex were the most alike. And Liz was the first person to ever make him feel like he truly belonged.

He'd moved to Roswell in the fourth grade, but he and Liz had been in different classes. He remembered meeting her once on the playground, and she had such a brilliant smile. She'd looked so happy, swinging with Maria. He'd wanted to stay and play for awhile, but the bell rang signalling the end of recess.

After that, he saw her from time to time, but was too shy to talk to her or Maria. So he'd sat alone at lunch and recess his fourth grade year at Roswell Elementary. All summer that year he'd dreaded the start of school. And on the first day of fifth grade, he'd sat down in the back of the room by himself, as usual.

But to his surprise, Liz had come and sat down next to him, flashing him that same happy smile. But this time, Alex had smiled back. And at lunch that day, she had taken his hand and sat down in the cafeteria with him, and since Maria had a different lunch hour that year, it had just been the two of them. And she'd asked him questions, and shared things about her own life. They'd been inseperable.

Liz introduced him to Maria a few weeks later, when Alex's family had gone to the Crashdown for dinner, and Liz and Maria were having a sleepover. And to his surprise, the two of them had invited him to join them. And after that, it was always the three of them. They went everywhere together, hung out, talked, watched movies, and of course, argued occasionally. But Liz had always been the peacemaker of the three of them. Anytime he and Maria would argue about anything, Liz always mangaged to get them back on track again.

And eventually, they didn't argue anymore. They were just there for one another, through anything.

When the popular guys at school harassed him, Liz and Maria were the first to jump to his defense. When Maria's mother was out on yet another date with some guy, Liz and Alex were always there to cheer her up with ice cream. When Liz's parents left her alone for weekends to go on business for the Crashdown, Alex and Maria stayed with her.

They'd seen each other through breakups, sickness, parent problems, teachers from hell, and countless other things.

And even though that was true, Alex had never seen Liz break down like she had that night, when she'd told Max that she would stay away from him. He knew how much it hurt her and he hated it.

He heard a soft sound and turned his head towards it. She was crying again. His heart ached for her. He moved quietly, trying not to wake Maria, who was faced towards the window. He touched Liz's arm. She didn't jump, didn't look at him, just slid over slightly towards Maria and Alex laid down next to her, holding her hand. He shifted and kissed her forehead lightly. "I'm sorry, Liz," he whispered.

She just nodded as she buried her face in her pillow.

Maria turned over and faced them, meeting Alex's eyes momentarily. Then she took Liz's other hand and squeezed it. "We'll always have each other," she whispered fiercely.

"Always," Alex repeated, gazing at Liz.

Liz sat up and threw her arms around them both and engulfed them in an embrace. "I don't know what I'd do without you guys," she whispered.

"You don't have to worry about that," he assured her, leaning his head against both of theirs.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Max was awake, staring at the wall when he heard the soft knock at his door. "Come in," he said quietly.

Michael sat up on the sleeping bed next to Max's bed, pulling his knees to his chest. Isabel stepped into the room, wearing her red silk pajamas. She closed the door behind her and dropped onto the edge of Max's bed. "I can't sleep."

Max sighed and sat up. "That makes three of us."

"Probably more than three," she said softly, staring at the floor.

Michael looked up at her. "What?"

"I just have a feeling we're not the only ones unable to sleep tonight."

Max stared out his bedroom window. "Do you think they meant it? That they're going to stay away from us from now on?"

"Doubt it," Michael commented. Max and Isabel both turned to look at him. "I mean, think about it. You saved her life, Max. So regardless of what got said, I don't think they'll try to stay away from us."

"She said she wished I hadn't saved her," Max whispered, shaking his head.

The three of them fell silent for a long moment. Then Isabel spoke up, her voice thick with emotion, "I think I really hurt Alex. I told him he was suffocating me. I didn't mean it."

Max put a hand on her shoulder. "You were afraid."

She pulled away. "Maria was right, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"She called us cowards. She was right. That's what we are. All three of us," she said, her voice becoming angry as she stood up and began pacing the floor.

"Hey, what does she know?" Michael demanded, standing up.

Isabel spun around to face him. "She was dead on when she said she made you feel too human, Michael. You know it, I know it, Max knows it. And if you deny it, you're a liar," she challenged.

Michael stared at her. "I am not human. None of us are."

She stepped up close to him, rage in her eyes, a rage he had never seen before. "Stop using me as an excuse, Michael. If you want to hide behind lies, do it alone. You might not want to feel human, but the truth is, we're just as human as they are. We feel things, we hurt, we cry, we get angry. We think, we talk, we hear and we see the way they do. The way we've done every day since we broke out of our pods. Nothing you can say or do can change that!"

"And nothing that you can say or do can change the fact that this is still not our home!" he exploded.

Max was glad his parents were out of town for the weekend.

"It is home, Michael! This is the only home any of us has ever known! I'm tired of sitting back and watching my life pass before my eyes! I want to live. I don't want to spend every day waiting for someone to come back for us! We crashed fifty years ago! What the hell makes you think anyone's ever going to come back for us?"

"Because Nasedo is here."

"So what? He's been here for fifty years, too! Just because he's here doesn't mean we're ever going back to wherever we come from! Don't you get it, Michael? Don't you see? We are here for good. I'm sorry that you got stuck with a raw deal. I'm sorry that you didn't take Max's hand that night! I wish you had! I love you like a brother, Michael, but Jesus, sometimes you can be so thick-headed!"

Michael looked away. "So what are you saying, Iz?"

"I'm saying...I'm saying I'm tired," she said finally, her voice flat as she dropped back onto Max's bed. "And I'm saying I want to be normal. And that we have three people who know who we are, who accept it, and who still care about us. And I for one, am tired of pretending it's not true."

"Isabel?" Max's voice rose from the darkness of his room, and she turned to face him.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm saying that I think I'm in love with Alex."


	4. Chapter 4

They didn't go on their triple date that weekend. None of them were in the mood. They'd stayed at Liz's, watched television, ate more ice cream, but didn't mention any of the Czechoslovokians. There was nothing left to be said.

Maria couldn't stop thinking of Michael as she drove to school Monday morning. She turned her radio up, singing along loudly to try and drown out her thoughts.

"You think I'm always making  
Something out of nothing  
You're saying everything's okay..."

"You wouldn't understand. You don't understand anything about us!"

"You've always got an answer  
Before I ask the question  
Whatever you say..."

"You're avoiding me."

"I'm not avoiding you."

"Oh, the classic signs, Michael. Not looking me in the eye, lying about motives."

"You know what? Fine. If it's going to shut you up, I am avoiding you. Watch me continue that thought, all right?"

"Now we can change the subject  
Pretend I never brought it up  
Same old stoy anyway  
Later we can work it out  
Right now you're talked out  
Yeah, whatever you say..."

"There he is."

"Him?"

"What, you think I'm wrong?"

"No, he's just so avoidable."

"If we didnt' need your car..."

"I know you can hear me  
But I'm not sure you're listening  
I hear what you're saying  
But still there's something missing..."

Maria parked her car and walked into the school, her memories still flashing in her mind.

"You've been ignoring me the whole night. Look, I'm not some Pollyanna, okay? I don't think what we have is true love. I don't know what we have. I just...I don't understand why you have to avoid me. It hurts that's all."

"Whether I go  
Or whether I stay  
Right now depends on  
Whatever you say..."

"I just don't really do this."

"Don't do what?"

"Get intense like this."

"You say yes you need me  
And no you wouldn't leave me  
And that should be enough to make me stay  
And even though I want to  
I don't hear 'I love you'  
In whatever you say..."

"Sorry, I can't get this involved. I'm alone and that' s the way it's gotta be."

"Oh, I know you can hear me  
But I'm not sure you're listening  
I hear what you're saying  
But still there's something missing..."

"Maybe we should've never started this."

"Oh, whether I go  
Or whether I stay  
Right now depends on  
Whatever you say..."

"I have something to say to you. If anything like that happens to me again, like when I got sick, don't help me. I can't get indebted to anyone, and I can't get entangled. I got to be a stonewall. And when I'm around you sometimes, I don't feel like a stonewall anymore."

"Well, what do you feel like?"

"I don't know, like confused."

"Like human?"

"Yeah, and I don't want to feel that way."

"Oh, whether I go..."

Maria walked into her first hour history class, and stiffened as her gaze locked on Michael for a brief second. Then she sucked in breath and took her seat next to him.

"Or whether I stay..."

She could feel his eyes on her, watching her. Did he have any idea that she had spent the past three nights crying because of him? Did he even care?

"Right now depends on whatever you say  
Whatever you say  
Whatever you say..."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He watched her from his car as she walked into school with the other human, the boy. His eyes darkened as he wondered why Max had bothered to save the girl. She was the same as every other human, a lying, disgusting, cheating tramp. He hated her. He hated all three of them. All humans, really, but especially these three. The three that had the power to destroy him, all of them. They wouldn't get a chance to destroy him. He'd destroy them first.

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Isabel swallowed hard as she walked towards the study hall room that morning. It was the only class she had with Alex Whitman, and she was getting nervous. She knew she owed him an apology, and she hated apologizing. But she would do it, and everything would be okay again. She sucked in a deep breath and stepped into the room.

He was sitting in his normal spot, two rows away from hers. She bit her lip when he didn't look up as he usually did. She sat down in her seat and pulled out a vial of fingernail polish. She was too preoccupied to pay attention to what she was doing and accidently spilled some of the blue polish on her desk when she snuck a glance at Alex.

She glanced around and realized no one was watching and she quickly cleaned up the spill with her powers. Then she capped the bottle and tucked it back into her purse, looking over at Alex again. He was writing something in a notebook, and didn't pay any attention to her staring.

Isabel suddenly got an idea, and she pulled out a notebook and a pen. She wrote something on a piece of paper, folded it up so that it was small and tapped the guy sitting next to her. "Hey," she whispered.

The guy looked over at her, and then his eyes roamed her body and a grin formed on his face. "Hey, yourself."

Isabel restrained herself from glaring at him. "Can you pass this to Alex?" she whispered, smiling sweetly.

"Sure, baby," he answered, taking the note from her and tapping Alex on the shoulder.

He turned, startled, as though he'd been a million miles from school. The guy handed him the note and Alex unfolded it. Isabel watched as he read it. Then he folded it back up carefully and raised his hand.

"Mr. Whitman?" the teacher asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Can I get a bathroom pass?" he asked.

The teacher held it out and Alex stood up, note clutched in his fist. He took the bathroom pass from the teacher and headed for the door. On his way out, he tossed the note in the garbage can so hard, it nearly bounced back out again. Isabel jumped at the anger in his action, and immediatly stood up, momentarily forgetting where she was.

"Ms. Evans?"

"I'm going to the nurse's office. I'm not feeling well," she lied, grabbing her things and hurrying out the door. She spotted him down the hallway and she hurried after him. "Alex, wait! Please!" she called.

He stopped but didn't turn around.

"Alex, I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

He didn't answer.

"I didn't mean what I said before...About you suffocating me."

Alex remained silent.

"Please, Alex, say something!" she pleaded.

He turned to face her slowly. "Don't worry, Isabel. We're not going to turn you in."

Isabel frowned in confusion. "What?"

"Just because we're staying away doesn't mean we're going to turn you over to the FBI. So stop pretending like you actually care how I feel."

"Alex, I do care--" she began.

"No," he cut her off. "You're just making sure that you're asses are covered. Well, don't worry. We won't say anything."

"I'm trying to--"

"Just shut up, all right? Maria was right to tell me not to get involved with you people. She said you were all heartless, and she was right. You wanted us out of your lives, you got it. You can go back to your fake little friends, to the people who don't know you, to all the popular guys who want to get you into bed instead of being with someone who cares about you as a person, not as an object. But just remember, that in the end, you made that choice." Alex turned and walked away from her.

Isabel's eyes filled up with tears. Everything he had said was true. She had pushed him away, and she didn't deserve him now. She hadn't realized until then just how badly she had messed up. She ran down the hallway and into the bathroom, where she started sobbing. She'd lost him.

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Max stared sullenly at the table at lunch. Michael sat across from him, lost in thought. "You were wrong," Max said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"What?" Michael asked in confusion, blinking.

"I said you were wrong. Liz is definitely sticking to what she said."

"What do you mean?"

"She didn't come to biology this morning."

"Liz Parker skipped class?" Michael said, in a mocking voice.

"Stop it," Max said sharply. "I care about Liz. A lot. I never wanted to hurt her."

Michael didn't answer, he just sat back in his chair, squinting at the sun. "Maria's ignoring me."

"This is wonderful," Max muttered.

"They'll snap out of it. They'll come back," he tried to assure his friend.

"Don't count on it," a voice snapped.

Michael looked up at Isabel, who's eyes were red and puffy. "What happened to you?"

"Let's just say I hurt Alex a lot more than I thought. I tried to apologize and he accused me of trying to make sure they'd keep their mouths shut about who we are," she said angrily.

Michael swallowed hard. "What did he say?"

"What we already knew. That they wouldn't turn us in, but that they were definitely staying out of our lives from now on."

"Maybe it's for the best. At least they won't be in danger now," Max said softly, staring down at the table.

Isabel sighed, and dropped into a chair next to Max's. Her eyes were getting teary again. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

Michael looked at the two of them. "Looks like it's just the three of us again." His voice was flat.

"Yeah," Max and Isabel echoed. They sat in silence for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts.

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He smiled in satisfaction as he cut the brake line of the red jetta in the school parking lot. That should take care of one of the problems, he thought.


	5. Chapter 5

Maria was walking to her car that afternoon, when she heard a voice behind her shout her name. She recognized the voice without turning around and she chose to ignore it.

"Wait! Would you just wait a second!" Michael caught up with her.

"What do you want?" she asked flatly.

"I just--I want to talk to you for a minute. That's all."

"Fine. Start talking. You have exactly one minute," she replied, looking at her watch.

"I just wanted you to know that it's okay. That you guys are staying away from us. It's for the best."

"Is that what you chased me down to tell me? Because you wasted your time. We have every intention of pretending you three out of existence. Starting right now," she said furiously, storming away from him.

"Damn it," he swore under his breath. He followed her again. "Would you just hear me out! The reason it's good that you're staying away is because I think you're in danger. I don't from what or who, but I feel it. And it has to do with us."

"Why are you talking to me?" Maria spun around to face him, pure rage in her eyes. "Why aren't you thinking about mud? Why the hell do you even care what happens to us? In your opinioin, Max should never have saved Liz in the first place. Well, guess what. We'll pretend that the shooting never happened. That we never talked, any of us. We'll just go back to the way things were before. Now if you'll excuse me, your minute is up." She turned on heel and without giving him a chance to respond, she walked to her car and got inside, starting the engine.

Michael sighed as he watched her back out of the parking place and drive out of the lot. Then he shook his head and looked up at the sky.

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Liz had managed to avoid Max, Isabel and Michael all day. She skipped biology and sat in the girl's locker room all hour instead. She had skipped lunch and gone with Maria and Alex to sit in the band room. She wasn't sure they could keep up the routine. She knew it was only a matter of time before she ran into one of them.

She sighed as she hurried down the hallway and headed toward her locker. As she rounded the corner, she ran directly into someone and her books went flying. "Damn," she muttered as she dropped to her knees and started collecting her things. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

Liz jerked her head up at the voice and swallowed hard as she met Max's eyes as he stooped down to help her out. She pushed his hand away. "I've got it," she told him.

His was stunned by the coldness in her voice. He offered his hand as she started to stand up, but she refused it and did it by herself. His heart ached in his chest. She looked so...hurt, so angry. So lost. "Liz," he said softly.

"Max, please. Don't make this any harder than it already is." She started to move past him, but he caught her arm.

"Liz, wait. I don't want things to be like this between us." His voice was pleading.

She was faced away from him, and she was glad. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the vulnerable sound of his voice. "This isn't about what you want anymore. This is about what I need."

"I know I've messed up your life, and I'm sorry for that," he said softly.

She turned to face him, shaking her head in disbelief as tears clouded her brown eyes. "You don't get it, do you? You never messed up my life until you decided that loving me was too scary and then you walked out. You walked out, Max. And now you want to walk back in? I'm sorry, but I can't do it anymore. I can't pick up the pieces of my life just so you can come back and break them again."

"Liz, I want-"

"Max, you don't know what you want! And even if you did, I don't think I could trust you to not walk out when things got intense again. Because that's not love. Love is when you stay and you fight for what you have, not walk out when things get bad or scary." She turned away and started walking to her locker.

He stared after her. "Liz," he whispered. "I do love you." But Liz didn't hear him.

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Isabel was driving home from school that day by herself. Max had decided at lunch that he wanted to walk home to help him clear his head. She was still sniffling and wiping at her eyes as she drove. That's when she saw the wreck.

She blinked and slowed down as she saw the ambulance and the police cars surrounding the car, that had crashed into a telephone pole.

She stopped her car and waited impatiently for the traffic to clear up. She turned the radio on and leaned her head back against her seat.

"Share my life, take me for what I am

Cause I'll never change all my colors for you

Take my love, I'll never ask for too much

Just all that you are and everything that you do

I don't really need to look very much further

I don't want to have to go where you don't follow

I won't hold it back again, this passion inside

I can't run from myself, there's nowhere to hide..."

Isabel thought about Alex. About all the times since fourth grade that she had seen him sneaking glances at her, and making up any reasons to just be near her. The truth was, she had liked him long ago, even back in elementary school. But she never admitted it to anyone, not even Max or Michael. She had walked into many of his dreams before, but they used to always be about him hanging out with Maria and Liz, or him playing in a band.

Until December when the heatwave rolled around. And she'd gone into his dream and saw that he, amazingly enough, was dreaming about her. And it hadn't been a nasty dream like the dreams that most guys had about her. It had been sweet, and romantic, and Isabel had known from that moment that her heart was in serious trouble.

"Don't walk away from me

I have nothing, nothing, nothing

If I don't have you..."

And from then on, it had all been a steady five hundred foot fall with nothing to grab onto. She hadn't fallen slowly like Michael had for Maria. When she let herself realize it, there was no going back. She could push him away, but she couldn't push away the feelings. And she had fallen head first off the love-cliff.

Isabel sighed and sat up as the ambulance sped away. The traffic started to clear. Then she put the jeep back into gear and something about the car caught her eye. It was a small, red car that was completly bashed up into pieces. She frowned. Then she caught sight of the license plates that were barely hanging on the car and she gasped as she realized the car was a small, red jetta.


	6. Chapter 6

Liz was sitting in her room on the floor, flipping through her history notes when there was a knock at her door. "Come in," she called, not looking up.

"Hey, honey," she heard her dad say as he stepped into the room.

"Hey, Dad," she said back, glancing at him. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you were okay. You seemed kind of upset when I saw you earlier this afternoon," he said, sitting down on her bed.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Dad. Just stressed out. You know, school and stuff." She stared down at her history book, none of the words sinking into her brain.

"Right." There was a moment of silence. "I was just thinking that maybe you were upset because of that Max fellow."

"Max?" she repeated, swallowing hard before she met his eyes.

"Yeah. I kind of sensed that...Well, that the two of you were pretty, um...close?" her dad asked uncomfortably.

Liz bit her lip. "Not anymore."

"Did something happen?" he asked gently. "Because I want you to know that you can talk to me."

She looked down at her book again. "Um...I know. It's just, um...It's complicated."

"I see. Well, if you change your mind..." He didn't finish his sentence as he stood up and headed for the door.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks," Liz said softly.

His eyes softened. "Anytime." He left the room.

Liz sighed and pushed her book away. No way was she going to be able to focus on homework now. She stared at the picture of Max that was in the frame on her desk.

Her thoughts were interupted by the ringing of the telephone. When it was still ringing by the third time, she realized her dad must have left, and she pushed herself to her feet and picked up the reciever. "Hello?"

"Lizzie?" a voice choked out.

"Mrs. DeLuca?" she asked, alarmed at the sound of her voice.

"Something's happened to Maria. I'm at the hospital. I thought you'd like to know..."

Liz's eyes widened. "I'll be there in five minutes."

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Alex was lying on his bed, staring at the cieling. He wondered what Liz and Maria were up to. He was bored and lonely. He thought back to what Isabel had said that afternoon.

"Alex, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean what I said before...About you suffocating me."

She was lying. She just wanted to make sure that they wouldn't turn them into the FBI or Sheriff Valenti. Alex knew it. He'd thought maybe he could reach her, make her open up to him and make her see that she wasn't that much different from him, that none of them were. That he and Isabel could be happy, that Max and Liz, and Michael and Maria could be, too. But it wasn't going to happen.

A sudden pounding on his bedroom door startled him and he sat up. "Come in!" he called, frowning.

The door flew open and Isabel Evans stood there, her eyes red from crying, her hair in tangles, and she stared at him.

Alex stared back. "Isabel?"

She started to cry and he jumped off his bed immediatly and was at her side in less than a second, forgetting all the promises he'd made to himself to avoid her. "I was so afraid..." Isabel cried, burying her face in her hands.

Alex swallowed hard and then wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry for a moment. She laid her face on his shoulder and he felt her trembling. "Isabel? What is it?"

"I thought...when I saw the car...I was so afraid...you were there..."

He frowned in confusion and then pulled away from her slightly, looking her in the eyes. "What?"

"There was an accident...Maria's car...I thought...I thought you were in it."

Alex's eyes widened. "Maria was in an accident? Is she okay?"

"I don't know. I drove straight here," she answered, wiping her eyes and trying to calm down.

Alex just nodded, and ran to his phone, quickly dialing a number. When it reached the seventh ring, he realized no one was going to answer it. "Liz isn't picking up," he said, with a growing sense of alarm.

Isabel's eyes widened. "Do you think Liz was with her?"

He grabbed his car keys off his desk. "I don't know but I'm going to the hospital," he said quickly, rushing past her out the door.

"Alex, can I--?"

Alex turned to her, met her eyes for a brief second, then without hesitation, reached out and took her hand as they hurried out of his house and to his car.

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"Something's wrong, Max," Michael said as he paced the floor of his friend's bedroom.

Max swallowed hard and nodded. "I feel it, too."

"I keep getting flashes of Maria. I can't stop thinking about her. Something's happened." He picked up Max's phone and dialed her phone number. Max watched him. Michael sighed in frustration and slammed the phone down. "Machine," he told Max.

Just then, the phone rang. "Hello?" Max said, picking it up.

"Max, it's me," he heard Isabel say. It sounded as though she'd been crying. He could hear the wind in the background and he frowned.

"Where are you?"

"I'm with Alex. We're on our way to the hospital, Max."

"Hospital?" he repeated in shock. Michael's eyes widened in horror as he waited for Max to explain.

"There's been an accident. Maria's car...I think she's hurt. Liz might have been with her. Alex tried to call her, but--"

"How bad is it?"

"The car looked pretty bad, Max," she said, her voice breaking. His heart nearly stopped and he struggled to breath. "Max, you have to get Michael and--"

"He's here. We'll meet you there, Is." He hung up the phone and rose to his feet.

"Maxwell?"

Max dreaded the words that he had to say. "There's been an accident. Maria...maybe Liz, too," he managed to choke out.

Michael stared at him for a moment, then he rushed past him and grabbed Max's mother's car keys off the kitchen table. Max followed him, passing his mom as he went. "We're going to the hospital, Mom," he said, barely able to speak.

"What?" Diane Evans said, staring at him.

"Some friends of ours were in an accident."

"Okay." She kissed him on the cheek. Max hurried to the car as Michael started it and he had barely gotten in the passenger seat as Michael threw the car into gear and backed out of the driveway.

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Liz rushed up to the nurse's station. The receptionist there was talking on the telephone. "Excuse me," Liz said politely, her voice strained.

The woman ignored her. "Right, June. I know. And so he said that I was out of line and I said--"

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Maria DeLuca," Liz interupted.

"I am on the phone," the woman told her, glaring at her. "So, anyway, I said--"

"My friend was in an accident, and I really need to--"

"I said, 'I am on the phone!'" the receptionist said.

"I don't care if you're on the goddamned phone!" Liz exploded, her eyes blazing with anger. "My friend was in an accident and if you don't tell me where I can find her right now, I will personally contact the hospital board of trustees and have you fired for not doing your goddamned job!"

The receptionist's eyes widened. "I have to go, June." She hung up the phone. "What's your friend's name?"

"Maria DeLuca," Liz said evenly.

"She's in I.C.U. right now."

Liz didn't bother to thank her, she stalked away from the counter and headed towards the I.C.U. waiting room, when she heard someone call her name. She spun around, only to be engulfed in Alex's arms. "Thank God," he said, hugging her tightly. "How is she?" he asked after he let her go.

She shook her head. "I don't know. She's in intensive care." Liz glanced past him to Isabel, who looked like she'd been crying. Without warning, the girl stepped forward and gave her a hug. Liz stared at Alex for a moment, but then hugged her back. "Thanks," she said softly.

Isabel just nodded.

Liz turned and hurried to the east wing of the hospital, towards the waiting room. Alex and Isabel followed her closely. She pushed the door open, searching the room for Maria's mother, but she wasn't there. The person at the desk wasn't in, either. Liz sighed in frustration.

"We may as well sit down," Alex said gently, touching her shoulder. Liz nodded and the three of them sat down in a row of chairs, Alex sitting in between the two girls.

Mere moments later, the door flew open and Michael and Max rushed inside. "How is she?" Michael demanded.

"There hasn't been any word yet," Isabel said quietly, standing up to hug him and Max. Max looked past her to Liz, who was standing beside Alex. He let go of Isabel and started to walk towards Liz when the door swung open again.

They all turned to see a doctor step inside with a pale Amy DeLuca. She met Liz's eyes across the room. "It's really bad, Lizzie," she whispered.

Liz moved past the group and to Maria's mom's side. She hugged her tightly. "She'll be okay, Mrs. DeLuca. She's a fighter."

"I hope you're right," Amy whispered back, crying. Alex moved forward and wrapped his arms around Liz and Maria's mom. "I'm glad you're here, Alex," Amy said.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," he assured her. "But Liz's right. She'll be all right."

Max and Isabel turned to Michael, who was staring into space. "Michael?" Isabel asked softly. She knew he had to be scared to death. When she thought Alex might have been in that car...she was terrified. She touched Michael's arm.

He shoved her hand away. "Don't," he said harshly. Then he stalked past her and out into the hallway.

Max and Isabel exchanged a look. "He needs to be alone right now," Max told her softly. He watched Liz as she sat down next to Amy and tried to comfort her. For right now, all he could do was sit there with everyone else and wait to see what would happen.


	7. Chapter 7

"Alex," Liz said softly, leaning over to him in the hospital chair.

He glanced at her. "Yeah?"

"Would you do me a favor?"

"Sure. Anything," he answered.

"Would you go over to my house and bring me my bookbag and a change of clothes?"

"Liz, why don't you just go home for the night? Mrs. DeLuca will call if--"

"I'm not leaving, Alex," she interupted, shaking her head. "I can't."

He met her eyes. "Okay." Alex kissed her forehead. "I'll be back in a little while."

"Thank you," she said softly.

He nodded and stood up.

"Alex?" Isabel stood up from her seat across the room next to Max.

Alex turned to look at her. "Yeah?"

"Can I come with you?" she asked tentatively.

Alex met her eyes, marvelling at the change he'd witnessed in Isabel Evans in the past five hours. She usually carried herself in a confident, perhaps overly-confident manner. This girl, this quiet, shy, hopeful girl was the real Isabel, the one he knew she'd been hiding all along. Alex smiled briefly and nodded his head. Isabel smiled back and crossed the room. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah. I think I am," she answered softly.

Their eyes met and Alex took her hand as they left the room.

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Michael stared at her through the window. She was so pale, so still. There were I.V.'s, tubes, and machines everywhere. A nurse was in there taking her vital signs.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he tensed immediatly. "Michael," he heard Max say.

Michael didn't turn around.

"You should go home and get some sleep," Max said gently. "Come back in the morning."

"Forget about it," he answered flatly.

"Michael--"

He shoved Max's hand off his shoulder. "Get away."

A moment later, Michael turned to see him, but Max was already gone. Michael turned took in on Maria again.

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Liz popped some money into the pay phone and dialed her home phone number.

"Hello?"

"Dad?"

"Lizzie? We've been worried. Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah, I'm okay, Dad. I'm--" She took a deep breath to steady her voice. "I'm at the hospital. Maria was in a car accident."

"Is she all right?"

She fought to keep her voice strong. "She's in the I.C.U. She hasn't woken up yet."

"Do you need us to come up there?"

"No, I'm fine. Um, Alex is on his way over to pick up my school stuff, so..."

"Okay, don't worry, we'll let him in."

"I'm going to stay up here tonight. I don't want Mrs. DeLuca to be here alone."

"Are you sure you don't want us to come up there, Lizzie? Because we'll be right there if you need us," her dad said worriedly.

"Thanks, but I'm okay. I'll see you sometime tomorrow."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad," she whispered. Liz hung up the telephone and closed her eyes briefly. Then she took a deep breath and headed back to the I.C.U. waiting room. A figure standing in the hallway caught her attention. He was standing outside the I.C.U., staring in the window, looking more lost than she remembered ever seeing anyone.

Liz walked over and stood next to him, staring in at her best friend, her heart aching. She gave a sideways glance at Michael, and then, without saying a word, she reached out and squeezed his hand gently. Michael glanced over at her, and then down at their hands. Then he squeezed back.

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Alex stared out the windshield, lost in thought. What had happened? Maria drove into a telephone pole, not another car. Had she fallen asleep at the wheel? It didn't make sense. He didn't realize he'd spoken aloud until Isabel said, "Maybe she swerved to avoid an animal."

He glanced over at her. "Yeah, maybe."

"Because she seems to be the type, you know? More caring about everyone else than herself," Isabel said, remembering how Maria had faced down Sheriff Valenti and protected Max, Michael and her from him.

"Yeah, she's always been like that," he said distractedly.

Isabel reached over and touched his arm. "She'll be okay, Alex. I can feel it."

"I just--I don't know what I'd do if I lost either one of them. They're my family."

She knew exactly how he felt. "I know," she answered softly. Alex looked over at her, and their eyes met briefly. "She'll be okay," Isabel said again.

This time, he believed her.

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"Sir?"

Sheriff Jim Valenti turned to face the inspector that was examining Maria's car. "Yes?"

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but this was no accident," Inspector Ralph McClain said grimly, motioning to the remains of the red jetta.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the brake line was severed. A clean cut--done by someone who knew exactly what he was doing."

Jim stared at him. "Shit," he muttered.

"Sir? What do you want done with the car?"

"Get rid of it. I don't want Amy to see how bad it looked." He turned away and headed for his car. He had to go to the hospital and check on the DeLuca's. And he dreaded being the one to tell Amy DeLuca that someone had attempted to murder her daughter.

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Amy DeLuca looked up as Liz handed her a cup of coffee in a styrofoam cup. "Thanks, Lizzie," she said, offering a sincere, albeit brief smile as she took a drink. She looked over at the girl who had been like another daughter to her for the past twelve years. "How are you holding up?"

Liz nodded her head and sat down in the seat next to her. "I'm okay."

Amy reached over and hugged her. "You've always been the strong one of the three of us. I don't think I ever thanked you for that."

Liz hugged her back as she fought to hold back tears. She squeezed her eyes shut. "No problem, Mrs. DeLuca."

Amy smiled briefly again. "I remember not too long ago when you and Maria would stand in front of my bedroom mirror and play dress-ups and have tea parties." Her eyes filled with tears again. "I can't lose her....She's all I have left."

"You won't lose her," Liz said firmly, pulling away to look at her. "We all need her too much."

Amy nodded as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Thank you. For being here for her. For me."

Liz swallowed hard and nodded. "There's no where else in the world I would be."

"I'm going to go see if they'll let me see her now."

"Okay," Liz agreed.

Amy left the room.

Liz looked around the empty waiting room and suddenly felt like the walls were closing in. She got to her feet and hurried out of the waiting room.

Air, she thought. I need air. She glanced up and down the hallway until she caught sight of the glowing exit sign above the doorway that said, "stairs." She moved toward it and ran up six flights of stairs until she reached the roof. She shoved the door open and stepped out into the chilly night air, trying to catch her breath.

She moved to the edge of the roof and leaned against the railing as she stared up at the dark night sky and the distant stars.

Liz remembered all the times she had spent with Maria as a kid, playing dress-ups, swinging at the playground, feeding the ducks at the park, swimming at the YMCA one summer. She remembered the walks she, Maria and Alex used to take at night when they were in junior high. Why had they stopped? She wasn't sure, but more than anything she wished the three of them could do that again.

But what if they never could?

What if she and Maria could never girl-talk over Ben and Jerry's again?

What if...what if Maria died?

Tears filled her eyes and a strangled sob escaped her lips. She sunk unwillingly to her knees and began to cry harder than she ever had before.

Less than a second later, she felt strong arms wrap around her, holding her, cradling her like a child, rocking her back and forth slowly and gently.

She didn't have to look up to know who it was. She felt Max's hand gently stroking her hair and the other resting on the small of her back. Her face was buried in his neck, the tears flowing endlessly down her cheeks.

Max held her limp body in his lap, hugging her close to him. He ran his fingers through her silky hair, pressing his lips to her forehead as she cried.

Sobs wracked her small body and Liz was too distraught and was hurting too much to try and fight the comfort he was offering.

Max just held her, knowing there were no words that could help. Knowing that no matter how much he hated seeing her like this, that this--the physical, loving way he was touching her--was all he could do to help soothe the pain.

He moved his hand from the small of her back to the area in-between her shoulder blades and rubbed it in a slow circular motion while his other hand gently pressed her head to his chest.

After a few moments, her sobs subsided and he just continued to hold her and rub her back gently. Liz relaxed against him, and she listened to the soothing sound of his steady heartbeat, too tired to pull away. She let his hands and arms and breath keep her warm and comfortable as long as he kept offering it. "You're good at this," she murmured.

Max smiled slightly. "It's not exactly difficult."

They sat for a few more moments in silence as he held her and continued to comfort her. Then she leaned back slightly to look at him. "Max?"

He gazed down at her. "Yeah?"

"She's going to be okay, right?"

"I don't know," Max answered honestly. He kissed her forehead. "But no matter what happens, I'll be right here with you."

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Max laced his fingers through Liz's as they stepped back into the waiting room. Sheriff Valenti stood there, along with Amy DeLuca, Isabel and Alex, the latter three wearing stunned expressions on their faces.

Max was nearly bowled over by the wave of terror that he felt sweep through Liz. He tightened his grip on her hand. "What happened?" she asked.

Sheriff Valenti turned to face them. "Someone cut Maria's brake line."

Liz gasped and Max's jaw dropped. He instinctively pulled her closer to him.

"Someone tried to kill my baby girl," Amy whispered. "Who would do something like that?"

Jim hugged her. "I don't know, Amy, but I'll find out," he promised.

Max met Isabel's eyes, and they both realized the same thing at the same time. Isabel's eyes widened and she reached for Alex's hand. Max pulled Liz into his arms. He could feel her trembling. "Let's go outside," he said softly. He led Liz into the hallway and Alex and Isabel followed.

"What's going on?" Alex asked, looking back and forth between Isabel and Max.

"We need to tell Michael," Isabel said to her brother.

Max nodded in agreement. "I'll go get him."

"Max?" Liz asked, looking up at him.

"I'll be right back," he promised.

Liz turned to Isabel. "What are you guys not saying?"

Isabel just shook her head. A moment later, Max returned, Michael right behind him. "What's going on?" Michael demanded, angry at being dragged away from Maria's window.

Max and Isabel exchanged another glance. After a moment of silence, Max finally said, "Maria's brake line was cut."

Michael stared at him, not moving, not making a sound. It was as if he was frozen.

"It was Nasedo," Isabel added softly.

Liz and Alex both gasped.

"I'll kill him," Michael said quietly. "I'll fucking kill him." He turned around and stormed down the hallway to the hospital exit.

Max and Isabel started to go after him, but Liz held up her hand. "Let me." And without another word, she took off after him and disappeared out the same door.

Alex, Isabel and Max exchanged worried glances.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Michael, wait!" Liz called from behind him as she tried to catch up with him.

"Go away, Liz." He didn't stop or turn around.

She caught up with him and grabbed his arm. "No, I won't go away!"

Michael spun to face her. "I'm going to do what I have to do! Now let me go!"

"Who's going to protect Maria while you're off trying to track him down?" she demanded. "Michael, think about it. Either he's long gone, or he's just waiting for his chance to finish what he's started. She needs you now. She needs you to protect her. You're the only one who can do that."

Michael stared at her. What she was saying made sense. Another thought dawned on him. "He'll be after one of you next."

Liz met his eyes and nodded slowly. "I figured as much."

"This is my fault. I brought him here, I'm the one who wanted to find him! Damn it!" he said angrily.

"This isn't the time to assign blame. You have to focus on Maria now. That's what's important." She started to walk back to the hospital.

Michael followed her. It occurred to him that he hadn't given Liz Parker nearly enough credit in the department of emotional strength. "Liz."

"Yeah?"

"What you said before...about me thinking Max's saving you was a mistake...I just want you to know that you were wrong." He waited as she stopped in her tracks and turned to face him, meeting her surprised eyes with a steady, honest gaze.

He saw the acceptance in her eyes, and she nodded. Then, silently, they both walked back to the hospital, side-by-side.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Max saw Michael and Liz approaching them and even from a distance, he could tell that Michael had calmed down considerably. He wasn't sure what Liz had said to him, but whatever she'd said must have worked.

"Maximillion," Michael acknowledged him.

"Michael," he said back. Michael moved past him and returned to his place at the window of I.C.U.

Max looked at Liz. She was nothing less than amazing, he thought. He draped an arm around her shoulders and they joined their other friends outside the I.C.U. window.

"What do we do now?" Isabel asked quietly.

"We don't let them out of our sight," Max answered, pulling Liz closer to him.

Michael stared in at Maria. "And when we find him, we stop him however we have to."

A chill ran down Liz's spine and she shivered and buried her face in Max's shoulder. He brought his hand up to her hair and began to stroke it in that soothing way again.

Alex felt Isabel's fingers lace through his own and he looked down at her as she squeezed his hand.

But no one noticed that they were being watched.


	8. Chapter 8

Amy DeLuca watched him throughout the night. She watched as he watched over her daughter, his gaze never faltering, not once. Amy wasn't sure what her daughter's relationship with this young man was, but it was blatantly obvious how he felt about her. She stood in the hallway outside of the I.C.U. waiting room, gazing at the back of his head.

She had sent Liz, Alex, and the other two to school that morning. There was nothing they could do, and she promised she would call the school and have a message delivered to Liz if anything changed. She really did appreciate their company, Liz's especially.

Liz was like a daughter to her. And she was so strong. Amy DeLuca was glad that Maria had such a good friend. Liz had been there for Maria when Maria's dad had abandoned them, even though at the time, the two girls had only been seven years old.

And Alex. Amy adored him, as well. Ever since the fifth grade, Maria, Liz and Alex had been inseperable, minus a few weeks ago, when he wasn't speaking to the girls...She still wasn't sure what that had been about, but whatever it was must have worked itself out, because they were acting like their old selves again. She was happy about that. She couldn't have asked for two better friends for her daughter. And now there was this young man...

Amy didn't know him well. She didn't understand him, either. But she knew beyond a doubt that he had feelings for Maria, even if he didn't like to admit it.

She watched him for another moment, just studying him. He stood perfectly still, the only movement he made was the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. He had been silent most of the night, even when any of the others had tried to talk to him.

Amy took a deep breath and walked up so she was standing right next to him. She gazed in the window of her daughter's I.C.U. room. Then she looked over at him. "You should go home and get some rest."

He shook his head slowly, not looking at her. "Not tired."

"You have to be tired, you've been up all night."

"I don't sleep much anyway." His words were quiet, so quiet she barely heard him.

Amy turned so she was facing him directly. "It's Michael Guerin, right?"

He nodded.

"Michael, I don't know what your relationship is with my daughter, exactly, but..." Her voice trailed off. She didn't even know what it was she was trying to say.

He finally turned his head to look at her, giving her a very brief half-smile. "That makes two of us."

She smiled despite herself. Then she turned to look in on her daughter. "She's a lot stronger than she looks, you know."

Michael turned to look at Maria again. "Believe me, I know."

"She's been through so much...her father left when she was seven years old. I've always tried to be a good mother to her, but sometimes I feel like it's not enough. Like I could be doing something better, something more..."

"She's lucky to have you," Michael said quietly.

Amy blinked in surprise. His words were so quiet, so soft and brief, but so full of meaning. "Thank you for saying that."

Michael shrugged and didn't respond.

"Have you been in to see her?" she asked softly.

"They won't let me. I'm not family."

Amy touched his arm. "Cousins are family."

He looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

She smiled, a twinkle in her eyes. "What, you don't remember your Aunt Amy?" she asked with mock indignation.

Michael suddenly realized what she was saying and a smile formed on his lips. "Of course I do."

"Well, go in and see your cousin then." Amy watched him as he nodded, and moved to the door.

He paused for a second, then turned to look at her. "Thank you."

"My nephew has great manners," she joked, her eyes tearing up.

"I was taught by a smart woman," he answered softly. Then he stepped through the door to see her.

Amy squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. She needed to get some coffee.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael swallowed hard and stared down at her. She was hooked up to all kinds of machines, and there were wires and tubes everywhere. She was still and silent, and more pale than he had ever seen her.

This wasn't right.

Maria was always so full of life. Always had been, back as far as he could remember. For her to be lying here, not knowing what was going to happen...it was too much.

Too much for him, too much for her mother, for Liz and Alex...

Before Michael even realized it, a tear slid down his cheek and splashed onto her hospital gown. He couldn't lose her.

He thought about his life, about how things had been before she became a part of it, and he didn't like those memories. Sure, he'd always had Max and Isabel, but sometimes that just wasn't enough...

They had their own family.

He had Hank, of course, but Hank wasn't exactly family. Hank was the jerk he lived with, the one who beat him, the one who had made him afraid to go to sleep at night, afraid of the monsters that would come out if he did.

And no one understood him. Not Max, not Isabel. As much as they loved him, they didn't understand him. They didn't know what it was like to hate "home" so much it made you want to kill yourself. They didn't understand what it was like to not have a mother, to not have real parents, because even though the Evans's weren't their real parents, they still acted like it, they still loved them.

No one understood him, or so he thought up until a couple months ago, when he'd basically stolen her car, with her in it, and driven all afternoon and evening and wound up at that sleazy motel. It had always been him against the world. No one knew what it was like to be Michael Guerin. Except for Maria DeLuca.

As much as he'd hated to admit it then, they had bonded, had formed some sort of connection. Maybe it wasn't the same kind of connection that Max and Liz had, but he and Maria weren't Max and Liz.

Maria knew what it was like to grow up without a father. She knew what it was like to wish for something so badly it hurt, and still not be able to reach her goal. She knew him as well as he knew himself. It scared him, because she could call him on it, and she wasn't afraid to do so. She was right, he was afraid. Afraid of feeling anything for anyone because he knew he'd only end up hurt in the end.

But maybe he was wrong.

He hoped he got to find out.

"Trying...to...drown me, space boy?"

Michael's eyes widened as he heard the barely audible words come from her still figure on the bed. He stared down at her, and she stared back up at him. "You're awake!"

"Apparently...why are you...crying?" she asked, wincing at the pain in her ribs as she struggled to sit up.

"Don't do that!" Michael said quickly. He sat down next to her on the bed. "Don't try to move...you're hurt pretty bad."

She coughed and then squeezed her eyes shut tightly to block the pain that shot through her. "Suck a duck," she muttered.

Michael swallowed hard, wincing as she tried to recover from the pain. He reached out and laid his hand over her ribs. Her eyes flew open at his touch, and their eyes locked on one another. Then she nodded slightly. Michael concentrated.

\--Maria and Liz on the playground when they were kids--

\--Maria watching, crying, as her dad left the house--

\--A wave of pure fear as she stared down at his cocooned body in Liz's bed--

He blinked rapidly, trying to absorb the images in his mind. Then he gazed down at her again, his hand still resting on her ribcage.

Maria stared up at him. "Thank you."

Michael nodded. "You, uh...You scared a lot of people."

She closed her eyes and laid her head back against the pillows. "Where is everyone?"

"School. Your mom's around here somewhere."

She nodded, but didn't open her eyes. "I want to see her...can you...find her for me?"

"Yeah, no problem." He stood up and headed for the door. Then he stopped and turned around to look at her again. She hadn't moved, her eyes were still shut. "Maria."

She lifted her head to look at him. "Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're okay." And with that, he turned and left the room, leaving Maria to stare after him.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz stared blankly into space, unable to concentrate on Mr.Crulick's English lecture. She ached to be with her friends, to be at the hospital with Amy DeLuca, awaiting news on Maria's condition. Anywhere but in class.

"Ms. Parker?"

Liz snapped to attention as she heard Mr.Crulick say her name. "Yes?"

He nodded towards the door, where the office assistant, Ms. Sharp was standing. She motioned for Liz to come to the door.

"Bring your books, Ms. Parker," Mr. Crulick advised.

Liz quickly gathered her books and stuffed them into her bag haphazardly, and leapt to her feet, her heart racing. Please be good news, she prayed silently. She hurried over to the door.

Ms. Sharp stepped into the empty hallway and Liz followed her. "Maria's awake," Ms. Sharp told her. "Her mother just called. She's awake and alert."

Tears sprang to her eyes. "Thank God!"

"Maria's asking to see you right away."

Liz nodded quickly. "I'll get my things from my locker and tell Alex." She turned away and hurried down the hall.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex sat out of gym that day. The gym teacher, along with the rest of the school, had heard about Maria's accident, and had told him he didn't have to participate. Even though they were playing dodgeball, which he tended to enjoy, he just wasn't up to it.

He wondered how Liz was holding up. And he wondered how Mrs. DeLuca was doing, and if Sheriff Valenti suspected that an alien was the cause of Maria's accident.

He sighed and then looked up in time to see Liz walk through the gym door. She searched the room for a second then met his eyes across the room. Alex rose to his feet on the bleachers and stepped down, jogging across the floor to her. "Liz?"

"She's awake," she announced.

Alex's eyes widened. He hugged her. "Thank God! Is she okay?"

"Awake, alert, and asking to see us."

"Great!" He glanced over to the gym teacher, who waved him away. Alex nodded a silent thanks, and followed Liz through the gymnasium doors.

"Let's take my car," Liz suggested as they hurried down the hall towards the school parking lot.

"Okay," he agreed. Then he stopped. "Wait...What about Isabel and Max? Shouldn't we tell them?"

"They're already on their way. They left a minute ago."

Alex frowned. "Okay." He followed her to her car and waited for her to unlock the passenger side door. When she did, he climbed in and she did the same. She started the engine and quickly backed out of the parking space.

He stared out the window, some unconscious thought pushing at the back of his mind, but he didn't know what it was. He saw Liz reach over and turn on the radio, flipping through the channels. Finally she let it stop on a song, the volume loud.

"You'll see him in your nightmares  
You'll see him in your dreams  
He'll appear out of nowhere  
But he ain't what he seems..."

Alex shuddered involuntarily. "Liz, when did you stop listening to Sarah McLachlan?"

She didn't answer. She sang along with the words of the song.

"You'll see him in your head  
On the tv screen  
Hey buddy, I'm warning you to turn it off  
He's a ghost, he's a god  
He's a man, he's a guru  
You're one microscopic punk  
In his catastophic plan  
Designed and directed by his red right hand..."

Alex shook his head and shifted in the seat uncomfortably. Something is really NOT right here, he thought. After a moment the song changed to something slower.

"All our times have come  
Here but now they're gone  
The seasons don't fear the reaper  
Nor do the winds  
The sun or the rain..."

Alex watched her out of the corner of his eye. This was really unlike Liz. She was silent, staring straight ahead of her as if nothing mattered. And she never listened to this kind of music.

"So come on baby  
(don't fear the reaper)  
Take my hand  
(don't fear the reaper)  
We'll be able to fly  
Cause, baby, I'm on your man..."

Alex shuddered again and gazed out the window. "Uh, Liz?"

"What?"

"You're going the wrong way. The hospital's in the other direction..." His voice trailed off as he stared at the desert all around them. "Liz?"

The car slowed to a stop.

He gazed out the window again. "Why are you stopping?"

"Because it's time, Alex."

He whipped his head around in time to see a man sitting in the driver's seat. "What the hell--?" His mouth dropped open in shock. It hit him at that moment. "You! You're--you're Nasedo!"

Nasedo smiled. "You didn't honestly think I'd let any humans live that knew a truth that could destroy me, did you?"

"What have you done with Liz? Where is she?" Alex demanded, his mind racing.

His grin widened. "Oh, she's with us..." He motioned to the door. "Get out and don't even think about running."

Alex swallowed hard and reached for the door handle, and climbed out of the car slowly, keeping his eyes locked on the shape-shifting alien.

"So come on baby  
(don't fear the reaper)  
Take my hand  
(don't fear the reaper)  
We'll be able to fly..."

Nasedo motioned him to the back of the car, and suddenly Alex realized where Liz was. Dread filled him in the deepest part of his soul as Nasedo waved his hand over the trunk lock. Alex held his breath, not sure if he was doing it consciously or because he couldn't breathe.

Nasedo opened the trunk. Liz was lying motionless inside. She didn't appear to be breathing. "Liz!" Alex momentarily forgot the danger he was in as he felt for a pulse. He lifted his eyes to meet Nasedo's. "You....killed her," he whispered in horror.

Nasedo gave a dark, humorless laugh. "And you're next."


	9. Chapter 9

Michael sat quietly in a chair in Maria's room after she'd been moved out of the I.C.U. and the doctors and nurses were examining her.

Her mother lingered by the window, watching nervously.

"Okay, I'm okay, really!" Maria pushed herself up into a sitting position and wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"Mrs. DeLuca?" the doctor turned to face Amy. "Can we speak out in the hallway?"

"Of course." Amy followed the doctor and nurses into the hallway, leaving Michael and Maria alone in the room.

Maria watched him from the corner of her eye. What was she supposed to say to him? She knew something wasn't right, that much she could sense. "Michael."

He met her eyes.

"Where's Liz? And Alex? My mom called them over a half hour ago."

Michael blinked and shifted his gaze to the clock, realizing she wsas right. The others should have been there by now. "I don't know. I'll call Isabel on her cell phone."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isabel Evans waited at Alex's locker after class, wondering what was taking him so long. Her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her purse. "Hello?"

"Iz? Where the hell are you guys?"

Isabel frowned. "What are you talking about, Michael?"

"Maria's mom called the school over forty minutes ago!"

"Maria's awake?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"Yeah, didn't you guys get the message?"

"No..." She jumped as the bell rang. A second later, she saw Max come flying out of the biology room. "Max, what is it?"

"Liz isn't in class!"

"Isabel, what the hell is going on?" Michael demanded, straining to listen.

"Liz didn't show up to class and Alex didn't come by his locker..." her voice trailed off as she looked at her brother. "Max, Maria woke up awhile ago. Her mom called the school."

"They wouldn't have left without telling us," Max said.

"Oh, my God, Max," Isabel whispered, as their eyes locked.

"They're in trouble," he said, his voice cracking.

"What's going on?" Michael demanded again.

"Stay with Maria. We're going to find Liz and Alex." Isabel hung up her phone and ran down the hall after her brother, who didn't stop running until he reached the jeep.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Okay, I want to know what's going on and I want to know right now!" Maria commanded the second Michael had hung up the phone.

He took a deep breath and turned to face her. "I don't know."

She glared at him. "Michael, I swear if you don't tell me, concussion or no concussion, I'm going to get out of this bed and strangle you!"

He sighed. Then he sat down on the edge of her bed. "Your mom didn't tell you about your car, did she?"

"My car? What does that have to do with..." Her voice trailed off as she met his eyes.

"Your brake line was cut."

Maria's eyes widened. "You mean someone tried to--"

"It was Nasedo."

There was dead silence for a full thirty seconds. Then, "Who the hell is Nasedo?" Amy DeLuca demanded from the doorway.

Maria looked at Michael, who cursed under his breath. "Shit."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex backed away from Nasedo, his mind racing. He had to find some way to stop him. But he was out in the middle of the desert. There were no weapons, and his opponent didn't need one. He could kill with a touch.

"Why are you doing this?" Alex choked out. "After everything we've done to help them--"

"Because all you humans are alike! You only care about one another. You don't care if you wipe out an entire alien race!"

"And what are you doing?" Alex challenged. If he could keep him talking, maybe he could stall until someone found them.

Nasedo stopped moving towards him, perplexed by the question. "I'm taking preventative measures."

"No, you're not! You're doing the same thing you accused the human race of! You're not giving us a chance to prove that we're not all killers!"

Nasedo's eyes darkened. "I'm going to enjoy killing you." He took three steps towards Alex before someone screamed behind him.

He whirled around just in time to see a tire iron swing at his head. He was slammed to the ground by the force of the blow. Liz glared down at him, still holding the metal bar in her hands. "Should have checked the trunk of my car before you locked me in it, you son of a bitch!"

Alex's eyes widened. "Liz!"

She looked up at him. "You okay?"

"I was about to ask you that!" He hurried to her, hugged her quickly, then looked down at the unconscious Nasedo. "What do we do with him?"

"I don't know. He's not dead. I didn't hit him that hard." Liz and Alex stared down at him.

"Well, we can't just leave him here for anyone to find, I mean, he's a...Czechoslovakian."

"Yeah, I know." She winced and reached up to touch the back of her head. It was bleeding.

Alex looked at her fingers, startled at the sight of blood. "Jesus, Liz," he whispered. "Let me see." He gently parted her hair in the back and looked at the wound. "You may need stitches."

"Great," she muttered, wincing again. They heard the sound of a vehicle driving towards them, and they turned to look. "Max!"

The jeep stopped a few feet away from them, and Max didn't even turn the engine off as he threw it into park and he and Isabel leaped out, running towards them. A second later, Liz was engulfed in Max's arms, holding her tightly. "Thank God you're okay!" he said, pressing his face in her hair.

Isabel threw her arms around Alex's waist and kissed him on the lips. He was surprised at first, then closed his eyes and kissed her back.

"What happened? Are you two all right?" Max asked, pulling away from Liz, and looking her over anxiously.

"She's got a pretty bad cut on the back of her head," Alex said before Liz could respond.

Max immediatly gazed into her eyes, and then moved so he could look at the wound. He frowned deeply, and touched his fingers to the cut, healing it instantly.

"Thank you," Liz said softly. He leaned his forehead against hers.

"Max," Isabel said, finally noticing Nasedo on the ground. She gripped onto Alex's arm with both hands.

Max glanced down at him, a surge of anger racing through him. Just as he was about to speak again, Nasedo leapt to his feet, opening his eyes widely, fury raging through him as he reached for Liz, who was closest to him.

Before anyone had a chance to react, a shot rang out through the air, and all four of them whirled to look. Sheriff Valenti lowered his weapon and looked at the fallen alien. Then he looked up into the faces of the four teens standing in front of him. "I thought you kids might need some help."

"But how did you--?" Isabel asked in confusion.

"I heard you kids talking at the hospital last night, and I knew you were in trouble. Amy called me on the phone a few minutes ago to tell me what was going on."

"Wait, you mean..." Max's voice trailed off.

"It seems Mr. Guerin and Miss DeLuca were forced into telling her the truth. She heard them talking, and when she found out who Nasedo was, and that he probably had Liz and Alex, she called me."

"But how did you know where we were?" Liz asked, finally regaining the ability to speak.

"I didn't. I followed Max and Isabel from the school," Sheriff Valenti explained. Max and Isabel exchanged a worried look, and Valenti held up a hand. "It's okay. I know who you are. All three of you. Your secret's safe with me."

"If that was true, why have you been after us all this time?" Max asked doubtfully.

"I wanted the truth, that's all. And I knew that there was one of you out there that was a killer..." He stopped when he looked down to where Nasedo had been lying.

Liz followed his gaze. Nasedo had vanished. She gasped.

"Guess we don't have to worry about what to do with his body," Alex mumbled, feeling a bit dizzy.

Isabel and Max stared down at the ground. There wasn't even a trace of blood on the desert sand. "Oh, my God," Isabel whispered.

Max swallowed hard, blinking against the brightness of the sun shining down on them. He wrapped his arms around Liz and pulled her to him. She buried her face in his chest, and wrapped her arms around Max's waist.

Sheriff Valenti met Isabel and Alex's eyes, and nodded. "You kids have some people waiting to see you at the hospital. Are you ready to go?"

The four teens exchanged worried glances, and then they all nodded in agreement.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where are they?" Maria asked, tapping her fingernails on her hospital tray.

Michael glanced at Amy DeLuca, who was still staring at him, and he sighed. "I don't know." He stood up and started pacing again. What if Valenti had captured Max and Isabel? What if Nasedo had killed Liz and Alex before anyone could stop him? A thousand questions raced through his mind all at once when the door suddenly opened.

"Liz!" Maria gasped. "Alex!" Her two best friends raced towards the bed and threw their arms around her in a group hug. "Oh, my God! Are you guys okay? What happened? Tell me everything!"

Michael turned in time to see Max and Isabel and Sheriff Valenti walk in the room. He breathed a sigh of relief as he met their eyes, and they both smiled at him. Valenti nodded at him as well.

"It's okay. He's on our side," Max told him. He turned to look at Amy DeLuca, whose eyes were wide and staring at the three of them. He swallowed hard and looked at Liz, Alex, and Maria.

Maria noticed the expression on her mother's face. "Mom? Do you remember Max and Isabel Evans?"

Amy nodded her head, but remained silent.

Maria threw a glance at Michael, who shrugged.

Jim Valenti noticed the exchange and walked over to Amy. "It's okay, Amy. They're good kids. All six of them."

Amy looked into his eyes, and saw he was telling the truth. Then she smiled. "So everyone's okay?"

The six teens looked at one another and nodded simataneously. "Mom, would you and Sheriff Valenti mind if we had a few minutes alone?" Maria asked, glancing around the room.

"Sure." Amy and Jim smiled at one another and stepped out into the hallway.

Max, Isabel and Michael stood on the other side of the room from where Liz, Maria and Alex were sitting on Maria's hospital bed. There was a moment of silence.

Liz met Max's eyes across the room and he crossed the floor so he was standing next to her. Silently, Isabel followed her brother and stood next to Alex. They all looked at Michael expectantly, but Maria had hope in her eyes. She smiled at him and he grinned. Then he, too, stepped forward and sat down on the bed with his friends.

"So," Alex said, grinning at his five friends. "Who's up for some pizza? I'm starving."

Liz laughed and leaned back against Max, who looked down at her. Then he leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips.

She smiled and kissed him back.


End file.
